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破坏环境的行为(3)
添加时间:2016-09-30 20:07:43 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • 5.Using Antibacterial Soap

    5.使用抗菌肥皂

    There's been a lot of debate about just how effective antibacterial soaps are and whether or not they should even be marketed, but using them has been proven to have an impact on the environment.

    关于抗菌肥皂是多么有效及它们是否应该被买卖的争论很多,但是使用它们已经被证实是对环境有影响的。

    Johns Hopkins University Center for Water and Health has done a study on just what happens to all the antibacterial chemicals in your antibacterial soaps after they swirl1 down the drain. The most commonly used chemicals are triclocarban and triclosan, and while most of those chemicals are removed from wastewater when they're run through a treatment plant, they have to go somewhere. That somewhere is sewage sludge, which is then recycled for agricultural use. From there, those chemicals are transferred into the ground and ultimately into surface water. When triclocarban degrades, it degrades into two chemicals—both carcinogens. When triclosan is run through a treatment plant to make drinking water, it doesn't exactly make safe drinking water. Instead, it makes other chemicals that can include chloroform. And those chemicals travel through the food chain in plants, animals, and ultimately humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found traces of the chemicals originating with antibacterial soap in 75 percent of urine samples tested, all taken from people over five years old. Triclosan has been shown to interfere2 with the basic biological systems of a number of animals, including rats and a range of amphibians3. It interferes4 with thyroid function, and when it builds up in the body, it causes early puberty in young animals, infertility5, obesity6, and cancer. Triclosan collects in the body's fatty tissues, and since animals—and humans—are higher up on the food chain, that means we're consuming all the trace amounts found in lower animals and getting a massive dose of the stuff.

    约翰霍普斯金大学水与健康中心做了一项调研,是关于抗菌肥皂沫漩涡般流进下水道之后,它的抗菌化学物质所发生的变化。抗菌香皂含有的最普遍的化学物质是三氯二苯脲和二氯苯氧氯酚,当废水经过污水净化厂处理后,大多数的化学物质都会被分离出来,然后与下水道沉淀下来的烂泥融合,之后这些污泥又会被农业循环利用。自此,那些化学物质又被转移回了地面并最终进入地表水。当三氯二苯脲分解时,会分解成两种化学物质——两种都是致癌物质;当二氯苯氧氯酚经污水净化厂处理以产生饮用水时,它制出的并不全是安全的饮用水,相反,它会制造出包含三氯甲烷在内的其他化学物。而那些化学物游走于食物链中,经由植物,动物,最终进入人类体内。美国疾病控制和预防中心对五岁以上人口的尿样进行测试后发现,75%的人口尿样中含有抗菌肥皂所产生的化学物痕迹。二氯苯氧氯酚被证实干扰了包含老鼠和大量两栖动物在内的基础生物系统。它使生物体内的甲状腺功能紊乱,并且随着在体内的积累,其会导致幼小动物青春期提早,不孕不育、肥胖和癌症。二氯苯氧氯酚集聚在体内脂肪组织不易分解,并且由于动物及人类高高立于食物链之上,那就意味着我们正在消耗吸收低等动物体内积累起来的全部二氯苯氧氯酚,最终我们体内便会存储大量的此种化学物,并遭受其带给我们的伤害。

    4.Keeping The Family Cat

    4.饲养猫咪

    If you have an indoor cat, you probably go through a lot of cat litter. It's a pretty new invention, only around since 1947 when a Michigan woman asked Edward Lowe if he knew of an alternative to the sand or ash that she had been using. Lowe, who worked in the industrial absorbents business, gave her some clay—and the rest is history.

    如果你养了一只猫,那么你一定用了很多猫砂。猫砂是一个很棒的发明,其起源可以追溯到1947年,当时一位密歇根州妇女向爱德华·劳询问是否知道某种沙子或者灰可以用来清洁猫的粪便。劳当时在一家生产吸收剂的工厂工作,于是给了她一些粘土,之后的事便众所周知了。

    There is, of course, a big problem with that history. For decades, at least 75 percent of the different brands of cat litter available were made from bentonite clay. The clay is what gives the litter its scoopable quality. Considering America alone uses about 2 million tons of cat litter every year, that's a lot of clay the industry needs. So how do we get it? Strip mining. Lots and lots of strip mining. While that's bad no matter the angle, some people have had it incredibly bad. In 1989, Canada's Mineral Tenure7 Act was amended8 to include one of the key ingredients in cat litter—diatomaceous earth. That meant that suddenly, companies had the right of free entry onto people's land without a time limit to look for valuable minerals. Landowners in Canada have found their property strip mined for cat litter. Technically9, landowners need to be compensated10, but that process can take years. The Bepple family was one such victim, finding a plot of land they once used for grazing livestock11 and farming trees suddenly being strip mined for cat litter. There are tons of alternatives to clay litter on the market, from recycled paper litter to wood and plant-based litters. Those options aren't always widely available, though. In many cases, they can be incredibly costly12.

    当然,后来这引起了一个很大的问题。几十年来,至少有75%不同品牌的猫砂都由膨润土所制。这种粘土可以使猫砂和粪便凝结。试想一下,目前仅美国每年就要使用200万吨的猫砂,那么生产猫砂的工厂每年会需要多少粘土?那么我们是怎么得到这些粘土的呢?通过露天开采,非常频繁的露天开采。无论从哪个角度来看露天开采对于环境的伤害都是巨大的,但还是有人乐此不疲地开采粘土。1989年,加拿大的矿产法案修订就包含了对硅藻土(猫砂的关键制作原料之一)的开采。这就意味着,公司有权利无时间限制地进入人们的土地上寻找需求的矿产。加拿大的地主们在其拥有的土地上发现了很多猫砂的材料矿产资源。从技术上来看,这些地主们应该得到补偿,但是这个过程可能会花费很多年。Bepple家族便是这样的受害者之一,他们本来是找到了一块土地用于放牧和种植树木,但是却突然被别人开采做猫砂了。现在,市场上已经有很多材料可以替代粘土,从再生纸到木材和植物,应有尽有。但是这些材料并没有得到普及。并且在很多情况下,这些材料都非常昂贵。

    3.Eating Farm-Raised Fish

    3.吃养殖鱼

    If there's anything that seems like it's an eco-friendly dinner choice, it's farm-raised fish. You're not removing fish from the open ocean, you're not putting other animals in danger, and you're not even adding to emissions13 given off from fishing boats. But farm-raised fish come with their own set of problems, and they're definitely not the eco-friendly choice you'd think.

    在日常生活中,如果有什么看似是环保的选择的话,那么食用养殖鱼就是其中一种。如果你食用养殖鱼,就不用去公海区捕鱼,也不会让其他动物处于危险中,甚至你也不需要使用渔船,这样就不会产生渔船排放的污染物。但是养殖鱼也会存在一些自身问题,事实证明这根本不是一种环保的做法。

    Shrimp14 aquaculture has resulted in the large-scale degradation15 of coastal16 areas, the destruction of wetlands, and salinization of freshwater areas and drinking water. Salmon17 farming relies on the release of fish food and nutrients18 into the water, which always results in wasted feed and a huge amount of fish droppings in the water. That's normally not a problem, but when a lot of fish are farmed in a small area, it's too much for the ecosystem19 to handle naturally. Extra waste products end up sinking to the bottom where they react with the medicines and other nutrients used to keep the fish healthy along with antifoulant agents used to keep nets clean. That means fish farms are a breeding ground for sea lice, which are as disgusting as they sound. More chemicals are used to control the sea lice, which end up killing20 the other marine21 life that was supposed to be in the area in the first place. There's also the very, very good chance that nonnative species of farmed fish are going to escape. That's introducing an invasive species to an ecosystem not prepared to handle it, and that means a whole other set of problems. Like many other environmental problems, there's absolutely no easy answer. Environmental agencies are now looking for ways to improve husbandry practices worldwide.

    鱼虾养殖会导致沿海地区大规模退化、湿地遭到破坏以及淡水和饮用水盐碱化。养殖鲑鱼的话需要在水中投放鱼食和营养,这样就会导致饲料的浪费及大量的鱼屎堆积。这看似并不是多大的问题,但是当很多的鱼被养殖在一个很小的区域时,生态系统的自我调节能力便会超过限度,最终导致生态失衡。额外的废弃物最终沉入水底堆积起来,养殖人员还会使用药品和其他营养物质来保障鱼虾的健康,甚至会使用一些去污剂来保持渔网的整洁,而水底的废弃物又会和这些药品、营养物质以及去污剂发生化学反应。这就意味着养殖场也成为了海虱的滋生地,听起来就非常的令人恶心。而人们也会使用越来越多的化学物质来控制海虱的生长,最终还可能杀死原本应该存活在这一区域的其他水生生物。当然目前还有一种很好的机会去引进外来物种的养殖鱼。然而当生态系统还没有准备好如何调节的时候,这就意味着又会带来一系列新的问题。类似于很多其他生态问题,这一问题也很难得到解决。目前环境保护机构正在全球范围内寻找方法来改善这种问题。

    2.Eating Soy

    2.吃大豆

    Turning to soy products has long been heralded22 as the healthier, more eco-friendly, and certainly more cow-friendly alternative to dairy products. Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that the environmental impact of soybean production is pretty devastating23, too.

    与乳制品相比,豆制品长期被视为更加健康,更加环保以及更佳的畜牧业友好型产品。不幸的是,近期的研究表明豆制品对环境的影响同样是毁灭性的。

    Soybeans aren't just used in products like milk substitutes. They're also being used for non-consumables like soap and candles. And we're not the only ones eating soy, either; about 80 percent of the world's soy production goes into livestock feed. There's a huge demand for soy. As it grows in popularity, more space is needed to grow the beans. Since 2008, deforestation in Brazil has been on a steady decrease, a direct result of a ban implemented24 in order to counteract25 deforestation. The need for the ban comes on the heels of Greenpeace's numbers, which indicated that about 1.2 million hectares of soy was planted in Brazil's rain forest in 2005 alone. In addition to the usual impacts of things like pesticides26 and water use, there's a huge human rights issue that's grown up around the development of soy, too. The Brazilian government keeps a list of farms that have been caught using slave labor, and soy farms throughout the Amazon basin have been found guilty of luring27 people there with work, then seizing their documents and forcing them into slavery. There's also the rather shady practice of land-grabbing, leading to countless28 families being kicked off land that's deemed more valuable for farming than for living.

    大豆不仅仅作为牛奶的替代品供食用。他们也同样地像肥皂和蜡烛那样作为非消耗品在使用。而且,不仅仅我们人类食用大豆,世界上百分之八十的豆类制品成为了家畜的食物。随着人口的增长,对大豆的需求也随之增加,更多的空间需要用于种植大豆。从2008年开始,巴西颁布并实施法令以防止滥砍滥伐,自此乱砍滥伐的现象已逐渐得到控制。此禁令颁布前不久,绿色和平组织的一份数据显示,在仅2005年这一年中,便有大约120万公顷的巴西热带雨林被开伐用于种植大豆。随着大豆种植的发展,除了诸如杀虫剂以及水的使用等对环境的影响,还有大量的人权问题随之诞生。巴西政府掌控着大量的农田,而这些农田采取的是奴隶耕作方式。遍及亚马逊盆地上的大豆种植田农田主已被查明罪行累累:首先诱拐人民到这里工作,然后扣押下他们的证件,最后迫使他们沦为奴隶。这还有更为阴暗的是土地的掠夺导致无数的家庭被迫离开他们的土地。这让人觉得农田的种植比人民的生活更为重要,更有价值。

    1.Not Finishing Your Dinner

    1.剩饭剩菜

    Most of us grew up hearing that we'd better clean our plates, but it's a bigger problem than our parents probably ever realized. Every year, global food waste amounts to about 1.3 billion tons, and that's such a big number that it's impossible to imagine. It's costing us about $750 billion annually29, and the environmental waste is just as staggering.

    我们中的大多数人在成长的过程中都会听到父母的谆谆教导:谁知盘中餐,粒粒皆辛苦。但是也许连我们的父母都没法意识到浪费粮食这一问题的严重性:每年全球食物的浪费数量高达13亿吨,这是一个难以想象的大数字。我们每年都要为此花费掉7500亿美元,而环境废物排放量依旧是惊人的。

    Three times the annual flow of the Volga River is wasted on producing food that gets thrown away, yielding 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases. About 28 percent of our agricultural land is used to produce waste food. Clearing more and more land is putting countless plants and animals at risk. Meanwhile, about 870 million people are starving. A lot of the waste comes at the processing levels, but consumer waste is also incredibly high. Fruits and vegetables are often thrown away for being misshapen, not necessarily spoiled. There's a lot of food that's thrown away at the best-by date regardless of whether the food has spoiled. Many consumers think that the sell-by date and the best-by dates are the same, but that's just not the case. While plans are in place for reducing waste like packaging food in smaller containers and offering lower prices for less-than-perfect foods, there's still a long, long way to go.

    每年三倍于伏尔加河流量的水浪费在生产而又被丢弃的食物中,同时伴有33亿吨的温室气体排放,大约有28%的农用土地被用于生产浪费掉的粮食,掠夺越来越多的土地正使得无数的动植物生存受到威胁。与此同时,大约有8.7亿的人仍处于饥饿状态。虽然生产阶段会产生很多浪费,但是消费者的浪费也是难以置信的高。蔬菜水果经常由于其畸形而不是因为变质而被丢弃。很多的食品在临近有效食用期时被丢弃而不管它们到底是不是过期变质了。很多的消费者认为保质期和有效食用期是一样的,但是这不是一回事。虽然人们已形成了很多减少浪费的计划,比方说把食物包装在一个更加小的饭盒中以及以更低的价格来处理一些不是最佳食用期的食物,但是,真正做到杜绝浪费,我们仍旧还有一段很长的路要走。

     10级    英文科普 


    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 swirl [swɜ:l] cgcyu   第10级
    n. 漩涡;打旋;涡状形 vi. 盘绕;打旋;眩晕;大口喝酒 vt. 使成漩涡
    参考例句:
    • The car raced roughly along in a swirl of pink dust. 汽车在一股粉红色尘土的漩涡中颠簸着快速前进。
    • You could lie up there, watching the flakes swirl past. 你可以躺在那儿,看着雪花飘飘。
    2 interfere [ˌɪntəˈfɪə(r)] b5lx0   第7级
    vi.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰;vt.冲突;介入
    参考例句:
    • If we interfere, it may do more harm than good. 如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
    • When others interfere in the affair, it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。
    3 amphibians [æm'fɪbɪənz] c4a317a734a700eb6f767bdc511c1588   第9级
    两栖动物( amphibian的名词复数 ); 水陆两用车; 水旱两生植物; 水陆两用飞行器
    参考例句:
    • The skin of amphibians is permeable to water. 两栖动物的皮肤是透水的。
    • Two amphibians ferry them out over the sands. 两辆水陆两用车把他们渡过沙滩。
    4 interferes [ˌɪntəˈfiəz] ab8163b252fe52454ada963fa857f890   第7级
    vi. 妨碍,冲突,干涉
    参考例句:
    • The noise interferes with my work. 这噪音妨碍我的工作。
    • That interferes with my plan. 那干扰了我的计划。
    5 infertility [ˌɪnfɜ:'tɪlətɪ] 37ExE   第9级
    n.不肥沃,不毛;不育
    参考例句:
    • It is the Geneva, Switzerland-based Biotech Company's second recombinant infertility drug. 它是瑞士生物技术公司在日内瓦的公司生产的第二种重组治疗不孕症的药。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术制药疫苗
    • Endometritis is a cause of infertility. 子宫内膜炎是不育的原子。 来自辞典例句
    6 obesity [əʊ'bi:sətɪ] Dv1ya   第8级
    n.肥胖,肥大
    参考例句:
    • One effect of overeating may be obesity. 吃得过多能导致肥胖。
    • Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods. 糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。
    7 tenure [ˈtenjə(r)] Uqjy2   第10级
    n.终身职位;任期;(土地)保有权,保有期
    参考例句:
    • He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor. 他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
    • Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world. 土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。
    8 Amended [ə'mendɪd] b2abcd9d0c12afefe22fd275996593e0   第7级
    adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词
    参考例句:
    • He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
    • He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。
    9 technically [ˈteknɪkli] wqYwV   第8级
    adv.专门地,技术上地
    参考例句:
    • Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever. 从技术上说,这是最先进的设备。
    • The tomato is technically a fruit, although it is eaten as a vegetable. 严格地说,西红柿是一种水果,尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。
    10 compensated [ˈkɔmpenseitid] 0b0382816fac7dbf94df37906582be8f   第7级
    补偿,报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 ); 给(某人)赔偿(或赔款)
    参考例句:
    • The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
    • I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。
    11 livestock [ˈlaɪvstɒk] c0Wx1   第8级
    n.家畜,牲畜
    参考例句:
    • Both men and livestock are flourishing. 人畜两旺。
    • The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock. 暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。
    12 costly [ˈkɒstli] 7zXxh   第7级
    adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
    参考例句:
    • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this. 维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
    • This dictionary is very useful, only it is a bit costly. 这本词典很有用,只不过贵了些。
    13 emissions [ɪˈmɪʃənz] 1a87f8769eb755734e056efecb5e2da9   第7级
    排放物( emission的名词复数 ); 散发物(尤指气体)
    参考例句:
    • Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
    • Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。
    14 shrimp [ʃrɪmp] krFyz   第7级
    n.虾,小虾;矮小的人
    参考例句:
    • When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream. 一旦养虾场建起来,将会截断这条河流。
    • When it comes to seafood, I like shrimp the best. 说到海鲜,我最喜欢虾。
    15 degradation [ˌdegrəˈdeɪʃn] QxKxL   第10级
    n.降级;低落;退化;陵削;降解;衰变
    参考例句:
    • There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones. 在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
    • Gambling is always coupled with degradation. 赌博总是与堕落相联系。
    16 coastal [ˈkəʊstl] WWiyh   第8级
    adj.海岸的,沿海的,沿岸的
    参考例句:
    • The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks. 大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
    • This country will fortify the coastal areas. 该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
    17 salmon [ˈsæmən] pClzB   第7级
    n.鲑,大马哈鱼,橙红色的
    参考例句:
    • We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there. 我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
    • Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment? 现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗?
    18 nutrients ['nju:trɪənts] 6a1e1ed248a3ac49744c39cc962fb607   第8级
    n.(食品或化学品)营养物,营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
    • Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    19 ecosystem [ˈi:kəʊsɪstəm] Wq4xz   第8级
    n.生态系统
    参考例句:
    • This destroyed the ecosystem of the island. 这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
    • We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem. 维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。
    20 killing [ˈkɪlɪŋ] kpBziQ   第9级
    n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
    参考例句:
    • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off. 投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
    • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street. 上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
    21 marine [məˈri:n] 77Izo   第7级
    adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵
    参考例句:
    • Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
    • When the war broke out, he volunteered for the Marine Corps. 战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
    22 heralded [ˈherəldid] a97fc5524a0d1c7e322d0bd711a85789   第8级
    v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 );宣布(好或重要)
    参考例句:
    • The singing of the birds heralded in the day. 鸟鸣报晓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    23 devastating [ˈdevəsteɪtɪŋ] muOzlG   第8级
    adj.毁灭性的,令人震惊的,强有力的
    参考例句:
    • It is the most devastating storm in 20 years. 这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
    • Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages. 婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。
    24 implemented ['ɪmplɪmentɪd] a0211e5272f6fc75ac06e2d62558aff0   第7级
    v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 );执行;贯彻;使生效
    参考例句:
    • This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    • The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革,经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句
    25 counteract [ˌkaʊntərˈækt] vzlxb   第9级
    vt.对…起反作用,对抗,抵消
    参考例句:
    • The doctor gave him some medicine to counteract the effect of the poison. 医生给他些药解毒。
    • Our work calls for mutual support. We shouldn't counteract each other's efforts. 工作要互相支持,不要互相拆台。
    26 pesticides ['pestɪsaɪdz] abb0488ed6905584ea91347395a890e8   第8级
    n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 );除害药物
    参考例句:
    • vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
    • There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    27 luring [] f0c862dc1e88c711a4434c2d1ab2867a   第7级
    吸引,引诱(lure的现在分词形式)
    参考例句:
    • Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap. 奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。
    • Her training warned her of peril and of the wrong, subtle, mysterious, luring. 她的教养警告她:有危险,要出错儿,这是微妙、神秘而又诱人的。
    28 countless [ˈkaʊntləs] 7vqz9L   第7级
    adj.无数的,多得不计其数的
    参考例句:
    • In the war countless innocent people lost their lives. 在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
    • I've told you countless times. 我已经告诉你无数遍了。
    29 annually [ˈænjuəli] VzYzNO   第9级
    adv.一年一次,每年
    参考例句:
    • Many migratory birds visit this lake annually. 许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
    • They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually. 他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

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